Baby Steps to Life's Independence

Baby step 27: Partner with Bees and Butterflies

Without bees and butterflies a gardener can not enjoy an abundant harvest. It is important to help provide for their daily needs (food, water and shelter) to ensure bees and butterflies remain nearby and help take care of our gardening needs.

Bees and butterflies need water which is often obtained from morning dew, puddled raindrops, water baths, water gardens and irrigation systems. Be sure your yard and garden has a system in place that ensures moisture is readily available.

Shelters for windy and inclimate weather can consist of shrub and tree foliage, awnings or sunbrellas. You can build or buy butterfly houses which are thin hollow boxes made of wood with louvered entrances/exits for butterflies to fly into when they become overpowered by wind and need a place to rest.

Flowers are the main attractor to keeping bees and butterflies nearby. Bees prefer flowers that are blue and purple but will pollinate most any colored flower. Butterflies are attracted to bright-colored and fragrant flowers. Bees and butterflies will visit your garden and yard numerous times throughout the day if you simply incorporate their favored flowers within your landscaping.

BEE AND BUTTERFLY FAVORITES

Perennials

Asclepais tuberosa – butterfly weed

Buddleia – butterfly bush

Digitalis – foxglove

Hesperis – rocket

Lilium – lily

Lupinus – lupine

Annuals

Cassia – cassia

Cosmosbipinnatus – cosmos

Helianthus annus – sunflower

Ipomoea – morning glory

Tagetes – marigold

Tropaeolum majus – nasturtium

Viola – pansy

Zinnia – zinnia

Seduce bees and butterflies into your yard with the simple baby step of caring for their needs.

I didn’t know bees liked blue and purple flowers! I like blue flowers and have a blue theme in my yard. But alas, I only had one bumblebee. He really liked my thyme when it was flowering like crazy! I had smaller bees or whatever they were, I couldn’t tell. Thanks for sharing!

Fulfilling this goal rekindles an internal energy – a sense of being in control.

It is the same feeling of independence our forefathers experienced throughout their daily lives. It’s about learning to take care of ourselves. The feeling of confidence … knowing you have the skills to do it on your own.